"Alright (Sumsun Remix)"

self-released

Artists:

Hard Mix's original version of "Alright" could already be considered a remix of sorts: The 19-year-old producer lifted the vocals from Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's eternally jubilant 1967 hit "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You" and subtly reinforced the song's rich sentimentality with some coolly viscous and ethereal textures. A refined, pleasurable piece of work, but nothing compared to window-fogging, Florida-based artist Sumsun's take on "Alright". Like Hard Mix, Sumsun invites that sample into his own realm, one teeming with new wave shimmer and tropical trance imprisoned beneath a thick layer of ice. Through this lens, the bright, romantic appeal of "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You" feels both frosted and isolated.

In this bold recontextualization-- one that fittingly resembles the adopted soul of Teengirl Fantasy's standout 2010 single "Cheaters"-- what once felt joyous and electrified by the newness of young love sounds desperate, aged, and deeply pained. But no less beautiful. Gaye and Terrell's lovestruck proclamations bounce off the glassy walls of Sumsun's slowly unfolding backdrop, now reshaped as crisscrossed, heartbroken pleas. The result is even more emotionally disarming because of its familiarity, and elegantly inhabits a space where remixes accomplish more than expected.